Just chiming in with my experiences shipping, because I see a lot of conflicting information in this thread. I swap yarn with Canadians on a very regular basis, and it's true that for the lower weight items shipping to Canada is very close in cost to shipping within the US. It's when you start increasing the weight that the gap widens.

I've had mixed results trying to use the customs form number for tracking - sometimes it comes up on the USPS site, sometimes it doesn't. I've been told by USPS customer service that the custom form number is not traceable, so if an item goes missing they can't find it.

I'm active in a swapping group elsewhere, and the requirement there is proof of shipping - so if you have a stamped customs form that shows the recipient's address and a stamped shipment date, it is considered shipped. I've never had to deal with a claim in PayPal for international shipments, but I would think you could argue that if you had that form, it should be considered proof of shipment. It's a sticky situation then to figure out if the seller or buyer is responsible for the postal service losing something

To be honest, there are many online stores and places like Spots and DS, where I simply will not make purchases because I know I can buy brand new for almost what the item + extra shipping will cost me. I often purchase on eBay because I find the shipping to be more transparent and you can clearly see who is just gouging. Also, I find on eBay, you can find sellers from the UK- Royal Airmail is exceptional and cheap. If possible, I will try to purchase from a UK seller over a US seller for that reason (not that I don't love my US friends).

Canadian domestic shipping is just as bad. It cost me $28 dollars to ship 6 BG XS AIOs and 7 BG small AIOs to Ontario from Alberta with delivery confirmation. Add to that PayPal fees, and eBay's cut and I ended up getting much less in the end for those diapers than I had wanted. I have had much better resale value over all when I use Kijiji.

I keep a little list of retailers that I have had good experiences with for shipping and tend to stick with those eg. Clothdiaperdepot has free shipping within the US for orders over a certain amount, and she gave me a credit for what the shipping would have been in the States and only charged me the difference in postage which I thought was very fair and nice.

Canada Post in general really sucks. My best friend lives in Iowa and she often sends things and several times packages have been completely and utterly lost. They are seriously lazy but sadly, I don't find Greyhound or Purolator to be much cheaper.

I see this too. Some people will not ship with out DC and that's totally fair, but I can't afford those shipping prices so I'll just move on. Some are willing to split shipping, which I am more willing to do. If they don't get the DC and the package is lost I'm not going to make a huge deal of it. Most of the girls are honest (I may be naive here) but unless something really rubbed me the wrong way with our transaction, I believe they did send it and it got lost. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet.
Oh! And another reason I think they charge more when it's obvious that they didn't pay that (ie. The package actually says the shipping amount) it's because they have to actually go to the post office and fill out the customs forms, so they are charging you for that.
The one thing that does get me a little miffed is people who don't look up international shipping, this site is not just for people in the US. So if you are selling things here be, prepared for people in different countries to ask for a shipping quote. If you do not wish to ship but of country state that in your ad. Same thing happens on spots.

I'm so glad this was posted I've shipped to Canada once before and was unsure of the "rules" so we just exchanged pictures and luckily, I was able to use the tracking number. I'm glad to know the "correct" way of going about selling to Canada now.

I understand the frustration from the canadian mamas. But be gentle! I didn't know any of this stuff. I usually say us only because its a pita to go to the po but I have to anyway if its first class and I want to be nice to our neighbors to the north! Charging extra shipping is crappy though, I mean more than the shipping fees.

Thanks for the info!

Btw I do not get only shipping to the continental us. Seriously what is the difference? Maybe that should be pointed out to the mamas who write that. Maybe they don't know its the same?

I only ship Registered Mail to Canada, it's the only way it's completely trackable...usually it's $13 for something that would normally only be $5 to ship within the US (I cover insurance). I've had a bad experience with someone claiming to have never received their package (I remade and reshipped via Priority ($23) at my expense, only to find them selling the "lost" items on another diaper site). While it's unfortunate, Canada Post is really unreliable and it's my way of protecting myself as well as the buyer.

Btw I do not get only shipping to the continental us. Seriously what is the difference? Maybe that should be pointed out to the mamas who write that. Maybe they don't know its the same?

Exactly. I live in Alaska and I hate it when people say they don't ship to Alaska. Um why? We aren't a foreign country and if we are paying for shipping what is the difference? First class is same throughout the us. Parcel can be expensive depending on where you are and sometimes are better off with priority.

But to the Canadian moms, I'm sorry I do discriminate to Canadian buyers. It's such a hassle to go to the PO and all the 50+ year old workers who take their sweet old time when there is 20 people in line, and add a in a screaming baby. I did this once to get a quote for Canadian buyer and she backed out on me afterwards. Was not worth it and I don't have the time nor patience to stand in our awful PO lines and deal with the rude workers.

Thanks for the info, mamas.
I have shipped to Canada once, it was a box with prefolds, so heavy.
I am considering shipping something under a pound so this is very helpful.
I'm still a bit confused/concerned about the lack of delivery confirmation, but I am going to check out the u-pic insurance link posted.

FWIW, if it's the first (or second, etc.) time you've ever shipped to Canada, it's VERY easy to make a mistake and choose an expensive option. You really have to know the cheap options are out there since they are not "obvious", be comforatable with being able to afford loss (or insurance), and have a friendly mama north of the border to point things out to you. (I would trust but verify, if you kwim).